The opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics took place at 8 pm on August 8, 2008 (08/08/08). Did you notice too many 8s in that sentence? Why did China choose that particular time for the opening ceremony? It is because 8 is considered a lucky number in China just like 7 is considered lucky in many other parts of the world. That is why the more 8s you have in your phone number the luckier you are. China’s Sichuan Airlines paid about US$280,000 to register the phone number 8888-8888. But why is 8 considered lucky?
八(bā): 8
发(fā): to make a fortune
As you can see above, in Chinese language 8 sounds very similar to the word which means “to make a fortune”. Now that explains why a lot of Chinese couples were getting married on the day of the opening ceremony for the Beijing Olympics. And that record was broken a year later on September 9, 2009. Yes, you guessed it right. 9 must sound like something with a good meaning too.
九(jiǔ): 9
久(jiǔ): forever
Those couples were hoping that their wedding will last forever. And, what about the unlucky number? No it’s not 13. Here is a hint.
(Source: click here)
As you might have noticed the elevator in this building in China is missing the 4th floor. Let’s find out what 4 sounds like.
四(sì): 4
死(sǐ): death
No wonder its considered unlucky. And, here are the remaining numbers:
一(yī): 1
二(èr): 2
三(sān): 3
五(wǔ): 5
六(liù): 6
七(qī): 7
